World News - Women talk three times as much as men, says study. They had to do a study to learn this???

It is something one half of the population has long suspected - and the other half always vocally denied. Women really do talk more than men. In fact, women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man. Women also speak more quickly, devote more brainpower to chit-chat - and actually get a buzz out of hearing their own voices, a new book suggests. The book - written by a female psychiatrist - says that inherent differences between the male and female brain explain why women are naturally more talkative than men. In The Female Mind, Dr Luan Brizendine says women devote more brain cells to talking than men. And, if that wasn't enough, the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high... http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday at a business conference here that the war in Iraq "could be considered a civil war," the conference organizer said. Powell made the comment during a question-and-answer session after a keynote speech, according to David Hellaby, who organized the "Leaders in Dubai Business Forum." No cameras were allowed in to record the talk, but Hellaby was present and issued a press release quoting Powell. Powell could not be immediately reached for comment. Hellaby said Powell was leaving Dubai immediately after Wednesday's conference. Powell's comments come in sharp contrast to those of President Bush, who said Tuesday that Iraq is not in a civil war. Bush blamed al-Qaida extremists for the daily violence there. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2688083

Fierce fighting Wednesday between coalition forces and insurgents shut down the Iraqi city of Baqouba, which has been roiled by violence in recent days, killing scores of militants and civilians. Dozens of bullet-riddled bodies were found around Baghdad. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in Jordan for meetings with President Bush aimed at halting the escalating violence, but the session was put off until Thursday. To protest the planned meeting between Bush and al-Maliki, lawmakers and Cabinet ministers loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr suspended participation in parliament and the government to protest the meeting. The political bloc is a mainstay of support for al-Maliki. It was not immediately clear whether the cancellation was linked to the boycott and White House counselor Dan Bartlett denied it was a snub by al-Maliki or related to the leak of a White House memo questioning the Iraqi leader's capacity for controlling violence in Iraq...http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-11-29-sectarian-violence_x.htm?csp=34

Bolivia's Senate approved nationalization contracts with foreign oil companies during a hastily called session that ended early Wednesday morning. The deals, which were signed last month, were drawn up according to the terms of President Evo Morales' May 1 nationalization of Bolivia's petroleum industry. The agreements grant Morales' government a majority share of foreign companies' revenues generated in Bolivia as well as control over their operations in the country. Companies signing contracts include Brazilian state energy giant Petrobras, Spanish-Argentine company Repsol YPF, the French company Total SA, and British Gas, a unit of BG Group PLC. Bolivia's natural gas reserves are South America's largest after Venezuela's. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2688092

A Turkish film featuring a venal, bloodstained Jewish doctor has been withdrawn from screening in the United States. In Valley of the Wolves: Iraq, American actor Gary Busey portrays a Jewish doctor in the American army who cuts out the organs of Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib prison and sells them to wealthy clients in New York, London and Tel Aviv. The film, a blockbuster hit in its native country, had been scheduled to open Friday at two theaters in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco. In early November, however, Valley of the Wolves was quietly dropped from the theaters' advance schedules. Gregory Gardner of Luminous Velocity Releasing, a company involved in distributing the film in the United States, said that the Turkish producer, Pana Films, had withdrawn the movie without explanation. Attempts to obtain further information from American or Turkish sources were unsuccessful, but a protest filed by the Anti-Defamation League may have played a role in the cancellation...http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378491023&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Details of a leaked memo which raises doubts about PM Nouri Maliki's ability to control sectarian violence in Iraq have been published in the US. According to the New York Times, the memo was sent by President George Bush's national security adviser to top US officials on 8 November. It suggests the White House take extra steps to strengthen the PM's hand. News of the memo comes as Mr Bush is in the Middle East to meet Mr Maliki to discuss Iraq's security situation. "His [Mr Maliki's] intentions seem good when he talks to the Americans, and sensitive reporting suggests he is trying to stand up to the Shia hierarchy and force positive change", the memo written by adviser Stephen Hadley says. "But the reality on the streets of Baghdad suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into actions." ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6157031.stm